Menifee Mom: Losing Power, Gaining New Perspective

By Karen Thomas

We recently had a power outage in my corner of Menifee. I happened to be away when I got a phone call from my kids: "Um, Mom? The power's out!"

They had all been in different parts of the house when the house went dark. They called out to one another and, after walking around blind in the dark, had managed to gather together in a bedroom and find security from a flashlight app!

I arrived home and found them all still huddled on the bed. I'm sure it was a bit scary when the lights first went out. I got out the lantern we take camping, which lit up the kitchen pretty well, and we sat down to eat the tacos I had just picked up.

The youngest was feeling really scared. As she sat down at the table, I could tell she was holding back tears. She just sat there, staring at her food. She was obviously too worried to even think about eating. We have been camping many times, but something about being in the dark house and having the lights all go out suddenly made this situation seem scarier.

I had already lit up the room with the lantern and equipped several kids with flashlights, so I wasn't sure what else to do. I looked around and realized I could still light the fireplace, so I got the fire roaring and put some water boiling on the stove for hot chocolate. Now it felt a little more like camping and a bit more cozy.

It was interesting to hear the questions and concerns the kids had related to the power outage. Where I grew up, in a rural mountainous area, the power went out a lot. But for us in Menifee, it is unusual. One child wanted to know if the car worked in a power outage. (Um, yes...I just drove home in the car!) Another child asked if the Internet worked in a power outage because she was hoping to access Netflix on her iPod. Times have certainly changed.

After we ate dinner, I quickly realized the kids had all found entertainment of some sort on their electrical devices. Before long, however, one discovered a problem: "How are we going to charge these when the batteries die?"

I suggested that we could just read books or play games, but the oldest said, "I know, I can plug it into my Chromebook!" Great...until the battery runs out on that!

Realizing the need to conserve battery power, the kids were soon enjoying hot chocolate and snuggling up in blankets by the fire. Everyone was beginning to like this rainy night with no power. It was quiet and peaceful.

Before long, though, our solitude was interrupted by a blast of light. The power had come back and it appeared every light in the house was on. My husband joked that they must have gone around checking all the lights thinking, "Maybe this one will work!"

It's possible that one of my city dwelling girls thought that. More likely, though, is that they just need a lesson in conserving electricity.

It's not often we get a night where we are forced to step away from all the things that keep us busy and slow down and enjoy the little things, like hot chocolate and roaring fires. While I appreciate all the conveniences we have, sometimes a short power outage can be just what we need.

Karen Thomas is a stay at home mom of four daughters, has been on the PTA board at her kids' school for four years, and is a volunteer at her church, in addition to her activities as a volunteer soccer referee, a piano teacher, and a runner. Her column will appear here every other week. Comments are welcome.